WILD GARDENING 



rushed to visit the bed on my arrival the 

 following year, and it may be imagined 

 how delighted I was to find that even the 

 seeds and bulblets had sent up a tiny grass- 

 like blade each, and that the cardinals and 

 florist's bulbs were healthy and happy. 



It may be laid down as a general 

 axiom, that nature requires always three 

 years in which to perfect anything. Dur- 

 ing the first year she devotes herself 

 chiefly to the roots, in the second she 

 develops the stalks and leaves, and by 

 the third she is ready for flowers. An- 

 nuals are the only exception to this rule, 

 for biennials will not blossom until the 

 third year after the seed is matured, even 

 though it is sown at once, and sprouts 

 soon enough to get a good start before 

 frost. And trees and shrubs, although 

 they are not ready for flowers so soon 

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